Lock, Stock and Barrel: Modified

Aligarh locks have made a brilliant comeback post UP election results. They have been used to lock residence of MLA who have bitten the dust in war of ballots. For the state of UP, political fortunes of SP, BSP and Congress have been locked away till 2022. Stakes are already high for 2019. Parties are contemplating cobbling up “Grand Alliance” to resist getting “Modi”fied.

The rainbow alliance of “Secular Parties” looks good only in theory. The way cracks surfaced amongst opposition parties while combating “Demonetization” deluge, it just goes to show that parties would rather sink themselves in defeat but not sink their differences. Just before Bihar elections SP walked out of the grand alliance. Opposition today is fragmented than ever. Every party has one or two aspirants for the post of Prime Minister. Aspirations have made it difficult to iron out differences. The so called “Third Front” is just a wild goose chase. It has never materialized in the past nor does it have any chance in current context. Opposition needs a consensus leader who can take on the might of Modi. The leadership deficit is first the major roadblock for the grand alliance. Parties would shy away from coming under leadership of Rahul Gandhi. Whenever Rahul joins any alliance, lightweights survive and heavyweight’s sink.Kejriwal does not have any credibility left. Left leaders would not agree to come under an alliance led by Mamata. Maya’s acrimony towards SP is detrimental to any alliance thought. Nitish comes across as the only candidate who can command acceptance from majority of opposition parties. Any alliance targeted for 2019 woud fail to be inclusive because, the way Modi has changed the narrative for UP elections, rules of game would be rewritten by Modi again in 2019 and opposition would just play along.

An online petition has propped up Shashi Tharoor’s name for PM in 2019. Tharoor’s appeal is more urbane and to take on Modi opposition would need a mass leader who can connect to people at grass root level. Political landscape is getting “Modi’fied with each election and the leadership void in opposition has just hastened the process of “Modi”fication.

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